Account Is Worth $25 Mil

Account Is Worth $25 Mil.; SF Interactive Gets Internet Chores SAN FRANCISCO–FusionOne, an Internet content synchronization service backed by several large technology firms, has tapped Black Rocket to design its first national advertising campaign. Billings are estimated at $25 million. Officials from the San Jose, Calif., startup said they looked at five other agencies, but Black Rocket topped the list due to its success in branding Internet firms. The San Francisco agency, which launched in 1996 with Yahoo! as its first client, will design TV and print ads. Another shop in town, SF Interactive, will handle online advertising. “Both agencies are incredibly skilled in brand development, which we feel is crucial to reaching millions of potential subscribers,” said FusionOne CEO and president Rick Onyon. The upcoming ad campaign will promote the company’s Internet Sync software and service. Internet Sync allows computer users to update their various technology devices simultaneously. For example, if a change is made to an appointment stored in a desktop computer calendar, it will automatically be reflected in the user’s laptop or electronic organizer as well. “FusionOne’s services really struck a chord with us as a solution we could benefit from using ourselves,” said Steve Stone, one of Black Rocket’s founding partners. “We were really impressed with the company’s vision and sound business plan.” Agency officials said they are also interested in building a brand that could eventually become a household name. “From a creative standpoint, it seemed different from a lot of the Net business out there,” said John Yost, another of the agency’s founding partners. “This is an opportunity to give some dimension and meaning to a brand.” Yost said the shop is still working out an approach for the campaign. In addition to launching the Yahoo! brand, Black Rocket also designed the most recent Petstore.com ads. The agency is also working with SF Interactive on several other ad accounts, including Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Online. FusionOne billings for SF Interactive are roughly $5 million. NokiaVentures and 3Com are among FusionOne’s backers.